Britain’s richest horse race – the Investec Derby, considered the most prestigious of the UK’s five classics – returns to Channel 4 for the first time in 13 years.

Dating back to 1780, the Epsom Derby is still ranked the greatest flat race in the world and with winnings of £1.25m it has one of the biggest prize pots in UK racing, matched only by the prestige that victory on the famous course brings.

Ten live races will be broadcast on Channel 4 over the two days, featuring the Investec Oaks on Friday, May 31, followed by the blue-riband Investec Derby on Saturday, June 1, at 4.00pm.

Televised horse racing enters a bold new era on New Year’s Day 2013 as the revamped Channel 4 Racing team lines up in the stalls to bring viewers the best action from around the country throughout the year.

All the sport’s headline events will exclusively live on Channel 4 for the first time in 2013, featuring 88 days of live action that will amount to over 300 hours of terrestrial exposure.

Clare Balding and Nick Luck will be fronting the new-look and extended Channel 4 Racing, starting with coverage of four live races from Musselburgh and a live link-up to trainer Nicky Henderson’s yard in Lambourn on New Year’s Day, following the abandonment of the scheduled meeting at Cheltenham.

Channel 4 will become the exclusive broadcaster of British racing on terrestrial television from 2013, after winning the rights to screen all of the sport’s most prestigious events, including the Grand National, Royal Ascot and the Epsom Derby.

The new four-year deal, reported to be worth up to £20m, will see all the crown jewels of the racing calendar switch to Channel 4 next year, ending the BBC’s long-standing association with televised racing that stretches back to the 1950’s.

The corporation said that it put in a competitive bid to retain the rights, but it was unable to match the offer that Channel 4 put forward.